Brassiere with lower cup framing adjustment



E. BRUNO 3,378,013

FRAMING ADJUSTMENT A ril 16, 1968 BRASSIERE WITH LOWER CUP Filed Jan. 12, 1966 INVENTOR ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,378,013 BRASSIERE WITH LOt/VER CUP FRARHNG ADJUSTMENT Enrico Bruno, Brooklyn, N.Y., assignor to Maidenforrn, Inn, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Jan. 12, 1965, Ser. No. 533,103 1 Claim. (Cl. 128-482) The object of the invention is to provide an improved means of adjustment of the brassiere cups at the lower framing thereof, in order to provide a comfortable wearing of a standard size brassiere Where the woman has an out of standard rib cage area. After the brassiere of the present invention is applied, it being for her appropriate cup size, there may be adjustment of the brassiere under its cups for smooth fit, and there is automatic adjustment because the framing under the cups can automatically expand or contract to a required degree in accordance with variations in her rib cage area from the standard for which the brassiere as a whole is constructed in accordance with the practice generally followed by brassiere manufacturers.

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view looking at the front of an embodiment of the invention, the shoulder straps being broken away;

FIGURE 2 is a longitudinal section taken on the line 2-2, FIGURE 1, and looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIGURE 3 is a somewhat enlarged vertical section taken on the line 3-3, FIGURE 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of a suitable hook connection between elastic straps at the base of the cups shown in FIGURE 1 and employed for each strap to enter loops carried at the cup framing opposite the strap in each case.

Referring to the drawings, it will be seen that the embodiment shown comprises two cup members 1, and which may be of any desired construction, as for example of fabric constituting a unitary cup construction, or of a plurality of mutually seamed sections, as indicated in the drawings. At the outer margin of each cup is a back band 2, at the outer end of which is a longitudinally stretchable band 3, one of which carries means for attachment to the second hand. In FIGURE 1 the stretchable band 3 carries hooks 4 adapted to be engaged with any one of a plurality of rows of eyes 5 carried by the second band 3. Shoulder straps are provided as indicated at 6.

Each cup has seamed thereto, at its lower margin, a framing piece of fabric 7, and applied to it is a tape 8 formed with a plurality of narrow sleeve or eye members 9. Also, each cup has seamed thereto a longitudinally stretchable band 10, carrying at its outer end a hook 3,378,813 Fatented Apr. 16, 1968 member 11 adapted to have its prong-like extension received in any one of the plurality of eye-like sleeves 9 carried by the cup opposite that to which the band is seamed.

It will be seen that the bands 11; cross each other when they are hooked into position, and that they are adapted to impose a greater or lesser tension inwardly of the cups, in accordance with their adjustment. Because the two longitudinally stretchable bands 1% are independent, being mutually unattached, either one of the two bands may apply greater tension to its cup than that given to the opposite cup in order to secure better confirmation of the cups to the breasts, particularly when one breast is larger than the other, as is frequently the case. Also it will be noted that the line of attachment between the cups is relatively short so that the construction is formed with a deep V between the cups at their base and their inner margins and running outwardly from a short vertical line of attachment opposite the apices of the cups. This enables the cups to have a sufiicient oscillation when they are adjusted by the bands 10 to ensure proper fit and comfort for the wearer.

It will be understood that various modifications may be made in the elements constituting the embodiment illustrated in the drawing, without departing from the spirit of the invention. The interior of the cups has not been illustrated, since they may be of standard construction, and the specific construction forms no part of the invention, since, as hereinbefore set forth, they may be made in one piece or in sections, as desired.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is as follows:

1. A brassiere comprising back bands, a pair of cups each connected to one of said back bands, said cups being joined together along a normally vertical line opposite the apices of the cups, the upper and lower margins of each cup sweeping outwardly from the meeting line of the cups and thereby bounding a deep V between the cups above their apices and a deep inverted V between the cups below their apices, an elastic band carried by each cup below the meeting line of the cups, a connecting element carried at the free end of each of said elastic bands, two framing strips and one being carried by each cup along an area of its base, a row of spaced connecting elements carried by and running longitudinally along each framing strip and adapted to selectively receive the connecting element of one of said elastic bands, said elastie bands being relatively free from each other and mutually crossed when their ends are so connected.

ADELE M. EAGER, Primary Examiner. 

1. A BRASSIERE COMPRISING BACK BANDS, A PAIR OF CUPS EACH CONNECTED TO ONE OF SAID BACK BANDS, SAID CUPS BEING JOINED TOGETHER ALONG A NORMALLY VERTICAL LINE OPPOSITE THE APICES OF THE CUPS, THE UPPER AND LOWER MARGINS OF EACH CUP SWEEPING OUTWARDLY FROM THE MEETING LINE OF THE CUPS AND THEREBY BOUNDING A DEEP V BETWEEN THE CUPS ABOVE THEIR APICES AND A DEEP INVERTED V BETWEEN THE CUPS BELOW THEIR APICES, AN ELASTIC BAND CARRIED BY EACH CUP BELOW THE MEETING LINE OF THE CUPS, A CONNECTING ELEMENT CARRIED AT THE FREE END OF EACH OF SAID ELASTIC BANDS, TWO FRAMING STRIPS AND ONE BEING CARRIED BY EACH CUP ALONG AN AREA OF ITS BASE, A ROW OF SPACED CONNECTING ELEMENTS CARRIED BY AND RUNNING LONGITUDINALLY ALONG EACH FRAMING STRIP AND ADAPTED TO SELECTIVELY RECEIVE THE CONNECTING ELEMENT OF ONE OF SAID ELASTIC BANDS, SAID ELASTIC BANDS BEING RELATIVELY FREE FROM EACH OTHER AND MUTUALLY CROSSED WHEN THEIR ENDS ARE SO CONNECTED. 